Yusuf Kıraç, president of the Turkish Space Agency, said that growing the space economy requires turning young people’s ideas and research into products, noting that the space economy is growing globally by around 8 to 9% annually. He also announced that Turkey aims to reach the Moon using its own capabilities next year, relying on locally developed technologies accounting for more than 80% of the mission.
Turkey is seeking to expand its share of the space economy by attracting more young entrepreneurs and turning their ideas and research into applicable products, according to remarks by Yusuf Kıraç, president of the Turkish Space Agency, on the sidelines of the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) in Antalya.
Kıraç said the global economy is growing by around 3%, while the space economy is growing between 8 and 9%, urging Turkish companies and entrepreneurs to benefit from this high-value-added sector. The official linked the importance of space to fields ranging from agriculture to security policies, considering that a presence in this field has become an influential factor in the future of countries.
From Government Competition to Startups
Kıraç believes that the space race is no longer limited to governments, but has increasingly become a competition among entrepreneurs and companies. For this reason, the Turkish Space Agency aims to use the Antalya conference to introduce young people to the international community and enable them to connect with the owners and managers of major companies—opportunities he said they do not usually obtain easily.
The stated objective is not limited to academic participation; Kıraç stressed the need to turn young people’s ideas and research papers into products. This reflects an orientation toward linking scientific research with commercial development chains, without the source providing details about specific funding programs or mechanisms for selecting companies and projects.
Turkey’s Near-Term Space Goals
Kıraç said Turkey sent its first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, on a scientific mission and then sent Tuva Cihangir Atasever. He added that his country aims to reach the Moon next year using its own capabilities, becoming, according to his statement, the first Muslim country to achieve this and the ninth country globally, with more than 80% of the technologies used in the mission supplied from domestic sources.
He also noted that establishing a spaceport enabling Turkey to reach space independently remains one of the important goals under the National Space Program. In the field of domestic navigation, Turkey sent a locally developed atomic clock intended for a positioning satellite, while testing continues for approximately one year.
Why Does This News Matter?
The significance of the development lies in Turkey presenting the space sector as an area for building companies and products, rather than merely a government program or a series of symbolic missions. However, the source establishes official goals and statements more than it establishes completed commercial results; it does not name any benefiting startups, state the volume of investments, or provide a detailed timetable for turning research into products. Therefore, the ability of this approach to produce a competitive space industry will remain linked to the implementation of these mechanisms and the results of upcoming tests and missions.